If Andy Murray quit tomorrow, turned his back on the sport in New York, did not add to his Grand Slams, his Olympic medals, or take another swing at the Davis Cup, he could still make a claim to be the greatest British sportsman of all time.

Darts? Triple jump? Sailing? Sorry, Daley, I know there’s no right or wrong answer to any list of The Greatest, but I’m pretty sure the candidates stand some distance away from the oche.

I know you said the 10 named had to be retired, too — but I reckon that’s a cop-out. Mo Farah is another who could walk away from running today and his achievements would stand.

It was pure joy for Andy Murray on Centre Court after he defeated Milos Raonic at Wimbledon

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He doesn’t need to win one more race for us to consider his career as exceptional, even in comparison to other athletes. It’s the same with Murray. The feats are there. All that is unknown is what he will go on to achieve, how truly great he might be.

Why Murray for me? Well to have a player single-handedly carry a sport as significant as tennis in this country throughout his career is quite exceptional.

Without Sebastian Coe, there was Steve Ovett. Without Chris Hoy there was Jason Kenny. Without Steven Redgrave there was Matthew Pinsent. But without Murray, nothing. And tennis is not a marginal sport.

Let’s face it, if Ben Ainslie had not come along, there would have been no inquest into Britain’s failure at sailing. As great as he was, sailing does not capture the public imagination in the same way. Nobody would have stressed over British disappointment in the Finn or Laser class.

Tennis is different. Wimbledon is possibly the biggest event in the sporting summer. British inadequacy there was an annual theme. So when Murray played on Centre Court, the 77 years that you find irrelevant were actually a huge factor, and a huge weight.

A 6-4, 7-6, 7-6 victory against the Canadian clinched a second Wimbledon title for the Scot

Daley, when you won the decathlon in Moscow in 1980, it was 76 years since a British athlete had last taken that gold medal. But this drought had not been the focus of every year since. Few had even heard of Tom Kiely, your predecessor from 1904. But everyone knew Fred Perry. They knew Perry because those years of failure were part of Britain’s sporting psyche. This country has arguably the most iconic tennis tournament in the world, but was abjectly useless at it and had been for the best part of a century.

Murray changed that on his own. He changed that coming from Dunblane, an outpost one imagines could never produce a tennis champion. And every time he sought to change that, he dragged with him all the baggage of 77 years as if it was his fault.

When he lost, when he fell just short, he wasn’t the greatest British tennis player of the post-war era — which he still would be, even if he had been defeated in every final he ever played — he was a choker, an also-ran, he became part of that dismal tradition. That was the narrative he swept aside. Not once, but twice, and also in America, and twice again in Olympic finals.

Murray is currently in action in the US Open as he targets the fourth Grand Slam of his career

He went to the Davis Cup and close to won that on his own, too. And there is no athlete out there who seems to take greater delight in winning for his country. He is an individual with the soul of a team player. Very rare. Ask America’s golfers. Ask Nick Faldo.

I’d also quibble against the argument that the machine is not as important to Ainslie or Hoy as it is to Lewis Hamilton, and to discount the best of motorsport because of the engine would also eliminate any athlete who has an engineer as part of the team. But, as you say, there’s no right, no wrong, and it’s only a bit of fun. Except for Murray. I’m not backing down on Murray.

My criteria: I've limited myself to those sportsmen I've watched in person or admired from afar during my lifetime and I've decided to ramp up the pressure by restricting myself to one name per sport. That way, you really do have to make the call who is the 'greatest'.

Mo Farah had a spectacular Games in Rio, winning gold in both the 5,000m and 10,000m

IAN BOTHAM

Played Fantasy cricket - outrageous strokes, wickets and brilliant catches - that we read about in comics. Proud, never-say-die Englishman who used to take on and beat the Aussies!

BOBBY MOORE

Not just the superbly stylish defender who won 108 caps but the great captain, leader and icon. Would England have won the 1966 World Cup without him? I very much doubt it. Should have been knighted.

BRADLEY WIGGINS

His 2012 Tour de France win was a genuine 'pinch me' moment but then you have to factor in five Olympic gold medals. Ultimate all-rounder, huge personality.

Bradley Wiggins secured his fifth gold medal during a memorable campaign in Rio

LEWIS HAMILTON

Britain remains second to none on the world scene in motorsport and you could nominate several names but Lewis is an extraordinary sportsman and a special competitor.

NICK FALDO

Those of a certain age can remember when Britons didn't win majors, especially in the USA. Nick changed all that with his steely attitude and competitive instinct. I admire hugely how he rebuilt his swing mid-career.

ANDY MURRAY

His first Wimbledon win was another huge breakthrough. Add in two Olympic titles, a second Wimbledon, a US Open and a phenomenal Davis Cup campaign and he was one of my first picks. And just approaching his prime!

Murray defeated Juan Martin del Potro in a thrilling finale to win gold at the Olympics

STEVE REDGRAVE

Very little compares with a performance-based athlete winning gold medals at five consecutive Olympics, in different boats with different colleagues and fighting a serious medical condition for the last gold. Lion-hearted, indomitable Brit.

JONNY WILKINSON

We must have a rugby player! And it's either Jonny or the great Gareth Edwards. Toss of a coin but I'm opting for Jonny simply because he contributed so handsomely to the ultimate, namely a World Cup win.

Jonny Wilkinson's kicks the drop goal that clinched World Cup glory for England in 2003

LESTER PIGGOTT

A genius jockey and winning sportsman at the top of the pile for well over 40 years. It almost defies belief the dedication and sacrifices that will have involved.

Wonderful world-beating brace of Olympic gold medals in Beijing and still ultra-competitive in London four years later. Raised her sport out of the doldrums

Rebecca Adlington proudly shows off her brace of gold medals following the 2008 Games

NICOLE COOKE

You can't argue with her incredible Olympic and World double in 2008 and a whole host of brilliant performances on the road all over the world as she ploughed a sometimes lonely furrow.

CHRISSIE WELLINGTON

Never got due credit for being the four-time Ironman Triathlon world champion. A legendary figure in her sport and not many can claim that

TANNI GREY-THOMPSON

Britain can be proud of its Paralympic history - we started the Games and remain their biggest supporter - and Tanni was perhaps the first name to capture the public's imagination with her 11 gold medals.

JESSICA ENNIS-HILL

Incredible all-round athlete who delivered under enormous pressure in 2012. But so much more than that. A superb role model for young women and mothers, returning from the birth of her first child to win silver in Rio.

Jessica Ennis-Hill goes airborne in the long jump on her way to winning silver in Rio

KATHERINE GRAINGER

A huge favourite of mine for incredible grit and determination over five Olympic Games which has netted four silvers and that never to be forgotten gold at London.

CHARLOTTE EDWARDS

Captained her country on 220 occasions in Tests, ODIs and T20 and led us to three Ashes series wins. Wisden Cricketer of the year 2014. Only now she has retired do we appreciate her greatness.

LAURA DAVIES

In British terms the Nick Faldo of women's golf. Crashed through all sorts of barriers to become the first European to head the LPGA money list and win four majors. Blazed a trail for women's golf worldwide.

CHARLOTTE DUJARDIN

Has transformed us into a nation of Dressage experts along with her beautiful horse Valegro. Takes on and beats the best men in the world to win Olympic and world titles. Totally synonymous with the sport.

SARAH STOREY

Sixteen Paralympic medals as a swimmer including five gold then switched to cycling. Now has six gold medals in the cycling with power to add next week in Rio

Paralympian Sarah Storey excelled at swimming before switching her attention to cycling

My criteria are not as complicated as Daley Thompson’s. The whole point if that we are in a pub discussing Britain’s greatest sports people so in my opinion you don’t want too many caveats. The only thing I will say is that the majority of my choices are people I’ve seen or who have had an impact on me or my generation because I feel that’s the best way to go about what is quite a daunting challenge. And there is certainly room for great team sports people in my choices. There is no way being outstanding in a team environment should be overlooked.

MY TOP 10 MEN

IAN BOTHAM

Even though I was lucky to play with one of my childhood heroes in Graham Gooch and work with another now in David Gower it has to be Beefy because he is the greatest English cricketer of all time. Some of the things he did and his will-power in winning games on his own from dead situations were extraordinary. Not only his record but he was an absolutely outrageous talent.

Ian Botham, an extraordinary talent and competitor, was a colossus on the cricket ground

DALEY THOMPSON

Daley may not have chosen himself but I would certainly have him in there. Just look at his record, the Olympic decathlon gold medals in 1980 and 1984, breaking the world record four times and his status as surely our greatest all-round athlete. When I was growing up he would make my mind boggle. It was hard enough being good at one sport, let alone ten. He was a very charismatic figure, too. You have to be in there Daley!

MO FARAH

It was remarkable that Daley didn’t include Mo in his list even if he didn’t want to pick athletes who are still active. Double Olympic gold in the 5,000 and 10,000 metres and the same in the world championship? Most decorated British athlete, I think, who just breaks all long distance records. He’s an unbelievable athlete and he just seems to win everything he races in.

England’s only World Cup winning captain in our national sport. Bobby has to be there, doesn’t he? Look at all the pain and frustration we’ve had since 1966 all growing up as England football fans. Alex Ferguson described him as the best defender he had ever seen and growing up in the East End of London and going to the same school in Snaresbrook where Bobby’s lad Dean went I was very much aware of the Bobby Moore legend. Graham Gooch never stopped talking about him in the Essex dressing room for one thing!

JONNY WILKINSON

I’m not a massive rugby fan to be honest but to score a last-minute drop goal to win a World Cup final against Australia in Australia in 2003? Well, it doesn’t really get much better than that. Jonny was such an incredibly professional, driven character too and I loved watching his attention to detail and the way he used to set himself up to kick penalties. He pushed himself to the limits to deliver under pressure. He’s got to be on the list, Daley!

NICK FALDO

As someone who plays golf and who has always enjoyed watching it I’m going to include Nick. My childhood golfing hero actually was Seve Ballesteros but what drove me to watching golf was seeing Faldo win the 1996 Masters when Greg Norman was leading by six holes and lost by five. Faldo said afterwards it was the only time he felt sorry for someone he’d beaten. Watching Norman implode and see Nick go past him was painfully fascinating and then to watch Faldo go on to the record he had in such a single-minded, driven way appealed to me. So meticulous and so different to someone like Botham.

Sir Nick Faldo was a single-minded competitor demonstrated by his 1996 Masters victory

ANDY MURRAY

Sorry Daley, I can’t believe you left out Andy too. All those years of watching Wimbledon and never coming close to seeing a British men’s winner. I actually used to get tired of watching Tim Henman not really getting that close to winning it but everybody feeling this was as good as it got. Then Murray came along and suddenly we had someone who has not only won Wimbledon once for the first time since Fred Perry but twice and has added two Olympic gold medals and almost single-handedly won the Davis Cup for his country too. He’s one of the all-time greats!

STEVE REDGRAVE

Another surprise omission from Daley’s list and it doesn’t matter to me whether rowing is a team sport or not. Redgrave won five consecutive Olympic gold medals from 1984 to 2000. Just think of the dedication and hard work that went into that over 16 years of Olympic competition. A truly extraordinary British sportsman and an absolute must on any list I’d say.

PHIL 'THE POWER' TAYLOR

Yes I do agree with Daley on this one. There are those who might not think darts is energetic enough but it is a sport as far as I’m concerned and it has become a hugely popular one both with fans watching it live and those on TV. All the cricketers want to go and watch it, I know that. And there’s one man responsible for that popularity. Taylor has won 16 world titles, eight in a row, and has made darts what it is now. Not many have transformed a sport in the way Phil has.

Phil 'The Power' Taylor has been a phenomenon in the world of darts, winning 16 world titles

BRADLEY WIGGINS

This was a very difficult choice. Do I go with Wiggins or Chris Hoy? Both are worthy of inclusion but I just want one cyclist and I’m going to go for Wiggins because he has been a master on the track and on the road. It’s that versatility that gives him the edge over Hoy and Chris Froome.

MY TOP 10 WOMEN

CHARLOTTE EDWARDS

Charlotte is the single biggest reason why there are so many girls playing cricket now and why it can become a career for them in Britain. She transformed women’s cricket and made it cool for girls to play the game. Her record as a player and England captain is second to none and she is still going strong now as the captain of the first team to win the women’s Super league title in the Southern Vipers. A fantastic sportswoman and role model.

KATE RICHARDSON-WALSH

This is a bit recent but having a daughter who plays hockey I watched every game in the Olympics and I’m going to go for the captain of the gold medal winning British team in Rio. She was Team GB’s flag bearer at the closing ceremony too which says all you need to know about what she’s done. She is our most capped female hockey player and is the key figure in transforming that team. They were terrible before the Games and then to become Olympic winners was incredible. They came from nowhere.

Another surprise omission from Daley. She won three grand slams, including the 1977 Wimbledon title, and was No2 in the world in singles at one stage and No 1 in doubles. She was simply THE British women’s tennis player when I was growing up and remains so today. She played at a time of very high standards in the women’s game, too.

VICTORIA PENDLETON

Nine world cycling titles, six individual sprints and of course gold in London at the 2012 Olympics. Another one who made her sport cool for girls and she is proving her sporting drive, competitiveness and ambition by having a crack at a second sport in horse racing now.

PAULA RADCLIFFE

An unbelievable marathon record, winning London three times and New York three times and is still the world record holder. I always think of her unique running style with the bobbing head and she’s another fantastic role model too.

A three-time winner of the London and New York marathons, Paula Radcliffe was a rare talent

LAURA DAVIES

I like my golf so I want to include the most accomplished British women’s golfer of her generation in Laura. Again, put her sport in the map for women golfers in this country and I like the way she doesn’t take herself too seriously. Hits the ball a long way and the only non-American to top the US money-winning list. Also topped the European order of merit seven times.

ELLEN MACARTHUR

The fastest solo circumnavigation of the globe! Can you imagine that? How anyone can sit in a boat that long and battle all the elements, the loneliness of it all, is unimaginable. It must be so mentally as well as physically demanding and a natural inclusion in any list of great British sportswomen.

JESSICA ENNIS-HILL

What she did in the 2012 Olympic heptathlon under immense pressure as the sort of poster girl of the home Games was incredible. Another one I admire for mastering so many sporting disciplines and the way she does it too marks her our as something special. Jess is a very down to earth Sheffield girl who was humble and gracious in winning silver in Rio and is someone we should all be very proud of.

KELLY HOLMES

Double Olympic champion in 800 and 1500 metres in Athens in 2004 at a stage in her career when she might have thought that that level of success had passed her by. Again, one of our great female Olympians.

Kelly Holmes was double Olympic champion in 800m and 1500m in Athens in 2004

TANNI GREY-THOMPSON

Her record in the Paralympics is second to none. A tally of 11 gold medals, and 30 world records says it all really. Also won the London marathon six times and is an inspiration for any disabled sports person.

Jamie Carragher: Charlton has to make the cut

I read with interest Daley's list but, with the greatest respect to some of those he has named, I am not looking at the sports that are more extreme in nature. I also think it is impossible to overlook the achievements of someone who has been in a team.

MY TOP 10 MEN

MO FARAH

There is no particular order to this list but I have got to start with the greatest track Olympian this country has produced. He is unbeatable over extreme distances and has dominated his sport for five years to achieve extraordinary things.

IAN BOTHAM

When I was growing up, the only cricketer anyone wanted to be was Ian Botham. It felt like he could do anything with a bat or ball in his hand and the fact we still call the 1981 series against Australia 'Botham's Ashes' says it all. He even managed to play football for Scunthorpe!

BOBBY CHARLTON

It was interesting to see Daley say he could not include anyone who had been in a team. I'm sorry but everyone in the world watches football and Charlton, the driving force behind our World Cup success in 1966, is the greatest player England had produced.

I couldn't understand how Daley left the greatest tennis player we have ever produce out of his list. Three gold medals, two grand slams and one constant source of inspiration. His exploits will be talked about in 30 years from now.

BRADLEY WIGGINS

I'm not diminishing Chris Hoy or Chris Froome's achievements for one moment but I'm giving Wiggins a place in my top 10 because it feels like he's conquered two different sports, excelling in a velodrome but also becoming the first Britain to win the Tour de France.

STEVE REDGRAVE

Gold medals in five consecutive Olympics. Say that sentence again and you appreciate the magnitude of what he achieved. Think of the dedication and sacrifice over two decades. An incredible feat.

SEB COE

The Olympics in 1984 is the first I really remember and he won the 1500 metre gold medal; it was a golden age of British running and Coe set 11 world records during his career. He was an exceptional athlete.

Peter Elliott (left) and Seb Coe race for the finish during the AAA championships in London

NICK FALDO

I never played golf in the way other footballers did though that did not stop me recognising how much Faldo elevated his sport in the eyes of the public and how he dominated it for a period, with his six major wins between 1987 and 1996. He continues to set the standard for British golfers.

TONY MCCOY

I'm not a racing fan but I do know McCoy rewrote the record books to such an extent that his sequence of 20 consecutive jockeys championships will never be beaten.

With 4,357 career wins across a 20-year career, AP McCoy was a sublime racing talent

LENNOX LEWIS

The undisputed Heavyweight Champion of the World, the last man to hold that title, a man who dismantle Mike Tyson. He is regarded as one of the greatest boxers of all time, certainly the best we have produced.

MY TOP 10 WOMEN

Again, there is no particular order to this 10 but their achievements have all been inspirational.

JESSICA ENNIS-HILL

The golden girl of London 2012 who kept raising the bar.

DENISE LEWIS

Fought through the pain to win the heptathlon gold medal at Sydney in 2000

VICTORIA PENDLETON

Another who helped make the summer of 2012 so memorable, that was her crowning moment after winning nine world titles.

Victoria Pendleton was one of the heroes of a memorable London Games, winning gold

SALLY GUNNELL

The Barcelona Olympics were memorable for her and Linford Christie. She stands apart for winning the Olympic and World titles in the 400m hurdles and breaking the world record.

PAULA RADCLIFFE

Can you imagine the training she had to do to win the London and New York marathon three times each and set a world record?

LAURA DAVIES

85 titles, including four majors, make her the greatest female golfer in British history.

LAURA TROTT

No other British woman has won four Olympic gold medals; she might not yet be finished either.

Laura Trott became the first British woman to win four golds with her omnium victory in Rio

REBECCA ADLINGTON

Came from nowhere to win two gold medals, one in a world record time.

KELLY HOLMES

We all remember her double in Athens in 2004; has been a fantastic ambassador.

VIRGINIA WADE

As the last women to win a grand slam in 1977, she continues to set the bar for British female tennis players.